5 Things You Need to Know This Week: Council Recap, City Candidate Forums
1. And the Candidates Are …
Election season is around the corner, which means it's Candidate Forum season! The Chamber is hosting two candidate get-togethers of our own — more on that below — and the following jurisdictions and groups are hosting their own, too:
2. Membership, Week in Review
Sarah's been scootin' around town meeting with members this summer, and last week was a particularly busy one. Read for yourself below!
- Primo's Ribbon Cutting: It's a restaurant, it's a night club, it's Primo's! And now, after our ribon-cutting on Friday, it's open!
- Ladies Lunch @ La Mar: The gals met up for a networking lunch, and our friends at La Mar didn't disappoint.
- B2B, 4 U: The Eastside B2B Professional Alliance, led by Brenda Luper, also had a great meeting.
3. City Council, Recapped
We've been in the groove of covering Bellevue City Council happenings the last few weeks, so we figured we would run it back for another meeting recap. The main items at last night's meeting were ...
- Public Safety Update: Police Chief Wendell Shirley was joined by Assistant Chief Andrew Popochock and PIO Drew Anderson for his Fall 2025 Public Safety Update, noting that overall crime is down 28% since last year, and their average response time is under 4 minutes.
- Porchlight x Plymouth: Bianca Siegl from the City Manager’s Office also came to give an informational update on the community response and operations at the Eastgate Housing Campus. No questions were allowed, but the deck can be viewed here.
- Comp Plan Amendments: During the study session portion of the Tuesday meeting, the Council also discussed Comp Plan amendments for two specific items: The Downtown Center Redesignation, and the Crossroads and Newport Neighborhood Area Plans.
4. In the Budget? Let's See!
Tired of flying financially blind? We've got you. Join us and Chamber member Jessica Nikolich, founder of Niko Financial Consulting, for a FREE one-hour training session designed for business owners and non-financial executives who want more control over their numbers without becoming a spreadsheet expert.
You’ll walk away with clarity on how to:
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Create a budget rooted in reality, not guesswork,
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Align your budget with your business goals so you can prioritize the right investments,
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And use your budget as a tool for smarter, faster decisions.
Whether you're scaling operations, hiring, launching new offerings, or just tired of winging it, this session will give you practical tools to plan. Seats are limited, so register below to reserve your spot today.
5. Letters, Letters, & More Letters
Jodie and our PLUSH Committee have been just a step short of Hamilton this last week, as they pumped out FIVE different letters to varying legislative bodies on a slew of development issues. We will spare you the musical puns we've racked up ... given that you take a looksie at the letters, of course.
Member News:
- Transforming BelRed: The City of Bellevue on Tuesday announced it has selected two companies to develop multifamily housing complexes with affordable housing and amenities for artists on two separate city-owned properties in the BelRed Arts District. Read the story here.
- Big Beautiful Bellevue: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries visited Bellevue on Friday, and was joined by Rep. Suzan DelBene, Gov. Bob Ferguson, and other officials at Overlake Medical Center to raise concerns about potential health care cuts under the proposed “Big Beautiful Bill.” Read the My Northwest coverage here.
- Networking for Nonprofits: Our members over at First Fed Bellevue are hosting a Bellevue Nonprofit Networking Mixer on September 26! Learn more and get tickets here.
- KC Exec’s Small Biz Awards: Bellden Cafe is a finalist for the King County Executive’s 2025 Small Business Awards under the “Workforce Development Small Business of the Year” category. See the other finalists here.